If you own a home, you know that a home requires care and upkeep in the form of repairs, renovations and regular maintenance. There are systems you can put in place to organize home maintenance paperwork including receipts, service providers and projects. Your first consideration when organizing home maintenance items is to decide whether you…
Are you planning a summer road trip? Here are some ways you can make a family road trip more enjoyable, and less crazy. Thoroughly declutter your vehicle before packing for the trip. Remove unnecessary items, i.e. trash, mail, work stuff, sports gear and stray clothing. Have your car serviced a few weeks before your trip. Better…
Do you or will you have multiple children in college? Besides the obvious financial expenses, you’ve probably spent time and energy helping them move several times a year. Our daughter’s moves went smoothly, thanks to my husband’s extraordinary packing skills. Although she would deny this, our daughter took pretty much everything she owned to college. It…
Got kids? If so, you no doubt also have the stuff needed for their hobbies and activities — musical instruments, sports equipment, dancewear, and art supplies — scattered throughout your home. Organize it all with these tips. Get the kids to help you round up the stuff and then categorize it by activity. If that’s…
My husband and I enjoyed taking road trips to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, the Tetons and to Yosemite prior to having our daughter. She then joined us as we traveled to Maine, North Carolina and Yellowstone/Tetons. We love seeing the U.S. from the road. The trips have been more relaxing when we brought along the following items. Food…
Emergency medical professionals want to provide the best treatment possible to their patients and also let your loved ones know you are experiencing a crisis. This is very difficult to do when you are unresponsive. Make their job easier by taking the advice of my medical professional friend who suggests everyone carry an “in case…
You aren’t alone if you feel like you’re stuff is suffocating you, burying you, preventing you from living your best life. We are a nation of consumers. We have an abundance of things, so much so that we may need to rent auxiliary storage or move to a larger home. Don’t suffer in silence, feel shameful…
Ready to get your gardening groove back on, but you’re unable to find your tools? A little organization will enable you to spend more time in the soil and less time searching. Here are the dos and don’ts of organizing gardening tools. Do make it a habit to weed out your supplies on a regular basis.…
Does the thought of holding a garage sale give you goosebumps or cause you to break out into a cold sweat? Garage sales were an annual event during my childhood. My mom thought they were fun and would select household items throughout the year to set aside for the summer sale. My tips will help…
Do you have a family member or friend graduating this year? Here are some unique and fun gift ideas for every graduate, that will be clutter-free and useful. Cold hard cash is always appreciated. If you want a clever way to present the cash, the Internet is a good place to search for ideas. (My…
Steer clear of three common mistakes when organizing children’s outdoor toys. 1. Adding without subtracting. Edit their toys once or twice a year (spring and fall). Start by gathering their outdoor equipment and placing it in one area. Now your family has a visual inventory and will notice if there are any unnecessary multiples. Schools and…
It’s not easy to stay on top of school papers. It enters your home via backpacks and then migrates to the kitchen counter and table. What do you do to prevent a paper pile up? My No. 1 suggestion is to be choosy about the papers you keep. Consider these questions. Can you find the…
Besides your everyday linens, you may be the owner of holiday-themed towels, table linens and seasonal bedding. There are options, besides closets, for storing and organizing linens. Have you looked under your beds lately? There could be less important items under there that you’ve forgotten about and no longer want to own. If you decide…